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Integrated Impacts of Microplastics Contaminated Compost on Soil–Plant Systems and Bioaccumulation in Lettuce, Tomato, and Radish
Summary
Researchers grew lettuce, tomatoes, and radish in soils amended with four composts of varying microplastic loads, finding that the most contaminated compost reduced early plant growth and resulted in bioaccumulation averaging 118, 81, and 140 microplastic particles per gram dry weight in the respective edible tissues. The study demonstrates that microplastics in compost-amended agricultural soil transfer directly into food crops, posing a direct pathway for human dietary exposure.
This study investigated the impacts of compost-hosted plastics and microplastics (MPs) on the growth and development of three economic crop varieties (lettuce, tomatoes, and radish) and assessed their bioaccumulation in edible parts under realistic environmental conditions. Four different composts, previously analyzed for their plastics and MPs content, were applied to the soil substrate to grow crops. Compost contaminated with the highest MP loads negatively impacted early plant growth, resulting in smaller overall plant size. Similarly, at the harvesting stage, the same compost exhibited the highest levels of free proline and total flavonoids in line with reduced plant growth. Photosynthetic pigment concentrations remained unaffected across treatments. Crop responses varied, with lettuce showing the most pronounced adverse effects across all growth stages. MPs were detected in edible plant tissues, with an average of 118 ± 136 particles g−1 dry weight in lettuce (leaf tissues), 140 ± 130 particles g−1 dry weight in radish (storage root tissues), and 81 ± 90 particles g−1 dry tissue in tomatoes (mature fruit tissues), as identified through Nile Red tagging and polymer analysis via micro-FTIR. Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) revealed an average MP mass of 2.2 mg g⁻1 dry weight in radish storage tissues. These findings suggest that MPs can accumulate in edible parts of vegetable crop species even during short-term cultivation periods, highlighting the need for further research on the long-term accumulation with risk assessment of human health and the adverse effects of MPs on yield loss in agricultural production.